Collaboration in collecting fees of Hai Phong city through Customs electronic payment portal

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Import and export activities at Tan Vu port, Hai Phong. Photo: T. Binh

This is an important solution to create favorable conditions for the business community and improve the efficiency of state management agencies, especially reducing time for implementing administrative procedures.

According to Head of Information Technology Department (Hai Phong Customs Department), Tran Quoc Chinh implemented Resolution No.148/2016/NQ-HDND dated December 13, 2016 of Hai Phong City People's Council on stipulating the collection level, management and use charge of using infrastructure works, service works and public utilities in Hai Phong seaport area. Hai Phong City People's Committee assigns the Department of Finance to preside over the construction of the software "Management of charges revenue for using infrastructure works, service facilities and public utilities in the Hai Phong seaport area”(charge management software), printing receipts of fee collection by software to ensure speed and convenience for businesses.

Accordingly, the Hai Phong Department of Finance has presided over the development and official deployment of management software of fee collection from April 15, 2017. Up to now, the Department of Finance has cooperated with Hai An District People's Committee (Hai Phong) to deploy software at sixteen charging points, updating new features, ensuring the software works stably, helping reduce the time of payment at the charging points, taking only oneor two minutes perdeclaration.

The fee management software has been implemented with good results.However, there are some shortcomings and limitations during the implementation process. There are some businesses that intentionally fail to pay fees but still undergo clearance at ports; toll agencies have assignedstaff to control at the ports but only during office hours, while goods entering and leaving the port are carried out 24 hours a day, leading to loss of budget becausesome enterprises go through ports without paying the fee.

The above software has not been connected with port enterprises to control the collection of fees for import-export enterprises when doing customs procedures at ports. The collation of data between the fee collecting agency (Hai An district) and the customs office to detect payment of enterprises that have not been paid fees buthavecleared by the two parties are collated manually. The Customs send the excel file to businesses that have done customs clearance procedures to the fee-collecting agency to compare the payment, which is time-consuming andnot updatedtimely and inaccurately.

It’s notable that while the import-export enterprises are using software connected with the customs authorities to carry out electronic customs procedures at online public service level 4, the website for online declaration of the toll collection agency is level 2, businesses still have to go to collection points to pay money, not creating the most favorable conditions for businesses.

Facing the need of reforming administrative procedures to reduce time and resources, cost savings for businesses and management units, the charge requires a close, synchronized and scientific connection between information systems of offices, toll collection agencies and port enterprises.

From the above points, Hai Phong Customs Department started to work and consult with the General Department of Customs and Hai Phong City People's Committee to implement the Project "Building automatic management system and controlling the collection of user fees infrastructure, service facilities, public utilities in Hai Phong port area”.

According to Mr. Tran Quoc Chinh, the important objectives of the scheme are: On the basis of the available information systems of the units, additional construction, upgrading,finishing, connecting the system according to the process ensuringsynchronization and automation. Thereby, establishing the fee collection process to ensure smooth, coherent and synchronous on the basis of connecting information systems between units involved in fee collection and payment.

Regarding the implementation of the project, functional units of Hai Phong Customs Department and Hai Phong City People's Committee had many working sessions with functional units of the General Department of Customs to unify and improve technical plans to implement the scheme soon.

Most recently, on December 6, at the headquarters of the General Department of Customs, Deputy General Director Nguyen Duong Thai chaired a meeting with the delegation of Hai Phong City People's Committee headed by Vice Chairman Nguyen Van Thanh deploying connection of collecting infrastructure fees in Hai Phong to the Customs electronic payment portal.

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At the meeting, leaders of the General Department of Customs and Hai Phong City People's Committee agreed on the policy of collecting fees for using works, infrastructure, service works, public utilities in Hai Phong seaport area via the Customs electronic payment gateway. At the same time, specialized agencies were assignedto urgently complete related works to perform in early 2020.